More than 2 years from City Council voted To allow alcohol sales at the Welsh-Ryan Arena, fans can grab a drink while cheering on the Wildcats.
A drink stand will appear during the men’s basketball period on January 1st meeting in the evening against Ohio. Alcoholic beverages are available at wrestling matches and all basketball games during the winter months.
Gillian Hansen A Masters student in Energy and Sustainability, she attended her first Northwest sporting event. wednesday night To see Cat face off against Rutgers. Hansen said he enjoyed drinking with other students on the program while watching the games.
“As a graduate student, it’s nice to have a night of fun going on,” said Hansen. “I don’t know if[the sale of alcohol]changes the experience, but it’s a nice addition.”
Northwestern University is the 10th Big Ten school to sell beer to the general public, according to the Sports Division’s December news release. Alcohol was previously sold only at the Wilson Club in Welsh Ryan. This is an area inside the stadium that is only available to fans who donate $6,000 or more.
The division hopes this sale will bring the NU fan experience one step closer to “world-class professional venues” throughout the Chicago area, said Tyler Jones, senior associate athletic director of outside operations, in a release.
“Matching the game day experience with these facilities is an important step as we strive to provide the best sports entertainment value in the region,” Jones said.
The Arena’s liquor license states that Wales Ryan can only serve alcohol on days when there are “sporting events, recreational activities or other entertainment events.”
When the city council started discussing licensing in 2019, many residents Very importantciting concerns about community safety and noise levels.
In response, Aldo. Eleanor Rebel (7th) Alcohol sales must end at least 30 minutes before the end of the event, and participants may purchase up to two (2) drinks per transaction.
Discussions about a future NU liquor license are ongoing as the university lays the groundwork. reconstruction Of Ryan Field, Rebel said: Evanston Roundtable last month.
“There are some arguments that it’s safer to sell alcohol indoors,” Reber said. “But when Northwestern University comes to ask for permission to sell at (Ryan Field) stadium, we revisit that whole debate.”
Beer prices start at $8.49, and Revelle also said liquor license proponents argued arena prices discourage excessive drinking. Welsh-Ryan’s cheapest item is Bud Light at $8.49, followed by Bud Light Seltzer, premium beer, and red and white wines at $9.49. Evanston Craft Beer is the most expensive option at $10.49.
The university worked with its concession partner Levy Restaurants to set prices, a spokesperson for the athletic department told The Daily. Drink prices are also benchmarked against “other similar locations on (NU’s) Marketplace,” they said.
Lily Walker, another energy and sustainability master’s student, said it’s not surprising that arena prices have skyrocketed, but she said more local breweries are picking up. I hope to be
“I always expect to pay a lot for beer at sporting events, so that’s normal, but I wish there were more local options,” Walker said. “Evanston has a lot of local breweries where you can drink good beer.”
Men’s basketball season ticket holder Ryan Andrews, a Glenview resident, said the addition of alcohol was “great”.
Andrews said he enjoyed Evanston’s craft beer, but hopes to add more options to the menu soon.
“Non-alcoholic beer,” he said. “Oh, and whiskey.”
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twitter: @Maia Pandey
Related story:
— City Council votes to allow alcohol sales at Welsh Ryan Arena
— The Northwest students were denied at the Welsh Ryan Arena on Jan. 4 night in a victory over in-state rival Illinois
— Liquor license proposed for Wales Ryan draws fierce criticism from residents